With the holidays coming up, no doubt you may find yourself wanting to share your numbers and experiences with our new app with friends and family. Or maybe you’re an advisor and expecting some time with clients in a social environment. Or you just need a networking topic for your next small business social. Try one of these on for size.

“What age do you want to retire?”

Dreaming about the the exact day and time that carefree retirement begins is a hot topic with many, making this a great conversation starter at family gatherings or more intimate conversational settings, assuming money topics aren’t taboo with your crew. Be prepared to share your own figure – perhaps you’ve worked out you can be a millionaire by 50 and retire early, which is a pretty inspiring story to share.

Word of caution: if you think someone might be pretty close to retirement (and unhappy with their amount of savings) or sensitive about their age, you might want to avoid this one and try this second suggestion.

“What do you want to do while you’re retired?”

This is probably the safest of our investment conversation starters, because who doesn’t want to regale you with their stories of how they’ll relax? In my experience, you can also learn a lot about a person from what they’d do if they had no obligations or work starting time.

What’s your answer to this question? Here at Stocks for the Week, we encourage you to dream big – after all, you are investing your dollars for the long term, right?

“What big companies do you truly admire?”

You don’t have to scan headlines very long to find negative coverage about one or more of America’s megacompanies. Why not change the story and highlight the companies and firms that are doing the right thing. Maybe your friends and colleagues have a publicly-traded company they love. Take a moment and find companies that you really want to support and share in their success.